


Omega Next Door

by silkplants



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Tagging later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 16:56:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16876671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silkplants/pseuds/silkplants
Summary: Alfred is an alpha who spends his weekday afternoons working for his elderly neighbor Mr. Kirkland. He’s spent months avoiding the property on the weekends, but once he realizes what he’s been missing, he is determined to make up for lost time.





	1. Chapter 1

As soon as Alfred was finished mowing over the last patch of grass, he paused to wipe the sweat from his brow. He didn’t mind helping out his neighbors, especially a nice old man like Mr. Kirkland. But doing his yard work every day would make even the most energetic alpha a little tired. He put the push mower away in the garage, draping the sheet over it so that it wouldn’t collect dust. Alfred thought it was a little silly to do such a thing, but Mr. Kirkland was super particular about the way things were organized, so he obliged. He headed through the garage door and into the main house. He called out, giving his signature megawatt smile. “Hey, Mr. Kirkland! I’m all done!”

He could hear the shuffling of footsteps, and then Mr. Kirkland was standing across the room, leaning on his cane. His arthritis had gotten too bad over the past few years to do much work outside. When Alfred and his family had moved into the neighborhood a few months ago, his mother took one look at Mr. Kirkland and insisted that Alfred help him. He didn’t mind, really, but it did get in the way during autumn, especially with the start of school. As soon as the bell rang, he had to bike home to Mr. Kirkland’s and see what he needed him to do. That meant he couldn’t hang out with his friends, or meet any cute new omegas. At least Mr. Kirkland let him have weekends off, which were free days he cherished and didn’t set foot anywhere near the old man’s property. Besides, Alfred was pretty sure Mr. Kirkland had some kind of caretaker or nurse or whatever over the weekend, because on Monday he could always catch the subtle scent of an omega. He didn’t want to get in the way of whatever important work his caretaker was doing anyway, so he kept his distance.

Until one weekend, anyway. It was Sunday and he didn’t have anything to do. None of his friends had answered his texts, and he didn’t want to go out alone. He didn’t want to stay in his room all day either- that was boring.

With nowhere else to turn, he went up to Mr. Kirkland’s front door, hoping his nurse had gone home already. He knocked a few times, rocking his heels back and forth as he waited. When the door didn’t open for a while, he knocked longer, and louder. Mr. Kirkland was old, and he couldn’t always hear when Alfred came over. Not hearing a knock on the door wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary. He would have to keep trying. In fact, he was holding up a fist to knock again when the door opened slightly to reveal just about the cutest omega Alfred had ever seen.

Alfred stared, wide-eyed at prettiest green eyes, blonde hair and freckles that dotted the omega’s face and arms. His heart was beating faster, and he was sure the omega could smell the shock and attraction on him. The omega pursed his lips, and then slowly began to shut the door.

“I..think you have the wrong house.” He murmured, but he stopped when Mr. Kirkland walked into the room.

“No, no, Arthur! That’s Alfred, the lad I told you about. Let him in, it’s alright…Alfred, this is my grandson Arthur. He comes to visit on weekends, but since you have those days off I guess you’ve never met him.”

“Grandfather-” Arthur began, door still mostly shut. He didn’t seem too keen on letting Alfred in.

“Nonsense, Arthur, let him in. He’s a good person, promise.”

With great hesitance, Arthur opened the door and stepped aside so Alfred could come in. Once he did, Arthur excused himself, closing himself off in the guest bedroom.

“Ah, sorry about that..” Mr. Kirkland smiled, rolling his eyes. “Arthur just gets nervous around new people, that’s all. He’ll get used to you.”

Mr. Kirkland grew quiet for a moment, looking Alfred up and down and then eyeing him. Mr. Kirkland’s alpha senses had long dulled, but Alfred could tell he was sizing him up. Finally, he smiled and nodded.

“Yes, you’d be alright..here,” He got a pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge, pouring two glasses and handing them to Alfred. “Bring one to Arthur- tell him I said you two should get to know each other.” Mr. Kirkland patted his shoulder, then went back to his easy chair, resuming the newspaper he’d been reading before Alfred arrived.

Alfred set the glasses down on a table while he knocked on the bedroom door. He didn’t hear anything for a few seconds, but after trying again he heard footsteps and then the door opened. Arthur looked up at him and crossed his arms, a rather bored expression on his face. “Can I help you?” He sighed, and Alfred hurried to get the lemonade. “Your Grandpa said we should hang out. Can I come in?”

Arthur took a glass and gave a slight nod, sitting back down on his bed. Alfred followed and smiled as he entered. Arthur smelled very pretty- and it was even more present in this room.

He sat beside Arthur, whose earlier reluctance had faded a little.

“So,” Alfred began, grinning at him. “How long have you been dropping by on weekends? I hope not long, because if I found out a cute omega had been living here the only two days I’m not around, I’d be pissed at myself for not dropping by sooner.”

Arthur’s cheeks flushed, and he chuckled to himself, lips curling into an amused smile as he took a sip of his drink. “Um, I’ve been staying here for months. Since February, I think..”

“What?!” Alfred whined, groaning as he tilted his head back. “Man, that’s longer than I’ve been here!”

“I know..” Arthur chuckled.

“And if I’d dropped by on the weekend-”

“I would have been there, yes.” Arthur rolled his eyes. “Um, thank you, though, for helping with the yard work. I could do it, yes, but..it’s nice to not have to.” Arthur gave a sheepish smile, and Alfred felt like his heart had leapt into his throat and was trying to choke him.

Alfred gave a very un-alpha squeak as he spoke. “I wouldn’t make you work out in the heat.” He assured. “Promise.”

“Well, you’ve done a good job so far, so there’s no need for me to go out there.” Arthur pat his arm, his hand lingering there a little longer than it should have.

“Sorry for trying to shut the door in your face, by the way.” Arthur continued, finishing his drink and setting the glass aside. Alfred hadn’t even started on his yet. “I thought you were just some stranger- Grandfather said you never came by on weekends so I didn’t assume it was you. Should you want to come by again, I’ll be sure to let you in.”

“Want to? Uh, yeah I want to visit again- I mean you’re here! And uh, like I said, if I’d known you were a cute omega my age and not some nurse or something, I’d have come by a long time ago..” He trailed off, and Arthur laughed.

“Well…I guess I’d be okay if you wanted to come by again..” Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, stirring up his scent, which only made Alfred more jittery. “I mean, you seem like a nice person. So I wouldn’t mind having you around.”

That was all Alfred needed to hear to be over the moon. This morning he’d had no omega besides his mother in his life, and now all in one day there was an adorable boy who wanted to see him again. Even if it didn’t turn romantic -though he sincerely hoped it would- he at least had someone to talk to on the weekends.

He spent the rest of the day trailing after Arthur, a stupid grin on his face. The only time he stopped smiling was in the evening, when a blue convertible pulled into the driveway and Arthur had to get his things. He hugged his grandfather goodbye and kissed his cheek, waving as he went to the door. “I’ll see you both next weekend!” Arthur called, taking a second to look over at Alfred and smile at him. Alfred’s jaw clenched- he already didn’t want him to go. But then the convertible was going down the street, and Alfred was standing in the middle of it, waving both his arms to get Arthur’s attention as long as he could. He couldn’t tell if Arthur was looking, but he hoped he was. He didn’t mind looking like an idiot if it was for Arthur.

When the car turned the corner and was finally out of sight, Alfred furrowed his brow. He resolved that, from this point onwards, he’d stick around Arthur just as long as the omega could stand him. With luck, maybe Arthur would reciprocate.

With even more luck, Alfred would get to be the proud alpha of the omega next door.


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred felt restless the whole week. Monday had been bad, but each day got worse than the last. He felt like he needed to go somewhere, but he didn’t know where or how to get there. He’d been a lot more fidgety in class and at home, to the point where his parents noticed. By the time Thursday evening rolled around, they were exasperated with him and his constant stressed and hyperactive smell.

When Alfred was unable to spoon some mashed potatoes onto his plate without spilling half of them, his parents knew they had to have a talk.

“Alfred,” His mother began, sitting up. “What is going on, dear, you’ve been overexcited all week. What’s happened?”

Alfred wasn’t sure if he wanted to answer right away. Arthur was still new, and he didn’t want his parents to embarrass him while he was around. But on the other hand, in the future, he might need some advice from them, if he was to woo Arthur properly.

When his father sat up, eyes narrowing a tad, Alfred realized that they were waiting for an answer and he’d been staring blankly at them. So without much of a plan, he blurted the first thing that came to mind.

“It’s an omega!” He admitted, posture rigid. “I’m gonna see him on Saturday, and I just, I dunno, we’re friends so don’t make it weird. Please!”

He could sense the surprise from both his parents, but then they gave each other a look and his mother reached over to ruffle his hair. “Please, Alfred, when have we ever been weird?” She chuckled, grinning wider when Alfred gave her a deadpan expression.

She put up her hands, rolling her eyes. “Fine, fine, we’ll leave you alone. For now.”

Alfred squirmed in his seat, grumbling a ‘whatever’ before shoveling some food down his throat and retreating to his room. He shut the door, and sat at the window, staring out at Mr. Kirkland’s house. Two days seemed like forever. He wished that Arthur would just show up early, but that wasn’t going to happen. He pouted, brushing his hair back. He was a mess- if Arthur could do all this to him by being around him for only a day, what would happen if they hung out a lot? He figured he’d just have to suffer through Friday and then find out.

Luckily for him, Friday did eventually pass. It seemed to take forever, but doing yard work and complaining about it to his cousin Matthew seemed to help a little. Matthew seemed understanding about the whole thing and stayed on the phone longer than he probably wanted to to help Alfred pass the time.

And then it was Saturday. Mr. Kirkland said Arthur usually came by around nine in the morning, which was earlier than Alfred usually got up on weekends. But that didn’t matter. He was up at eight and as soon as the blue convertible pulled in an hour later, he was out the door.

Arthur said a brief goodbye to his parents and hadn’t even made it to the house when Alfred called him, waving and running up. Arthur rolled his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. “Well. Good morning, Alfred, have you had a good week?”

No. No, Alfred hadn’t. But he could barely remember the week anymore. “Um, yeah, sure, let me carry that, okay?” He offered, holding his hand out for Arthur’s suitcase. Arthur eyed him for a moment, then shrugged and handed it over.

“Very well. Do be careful with it.”

The suitcase was a lot heavier than Alfred expected, and he grunted as he went to pick it up. He managed it, but with more effort than he thought he would need. He was struggling and Arthur must have known it because when Alfred looked over the omega had an absolutely wicked grin on his face.

“I like to bring my novels along when I travel- Lots of them. Didn’t I tell you that?” Arthur asked, making an effort to appear innocent.

Arthur had not told him that. Alfred followed him inside without an answer, and although the laughter was at his expense, it was nice to see Arthur happy. He dumped his cargo on Arthur’s bed. Arthur could talk care of it later.

He shut the door to the bedroom and wandered the house until he found the other two occupants. Alfred leaned in the doorway, eyes glued to Arthur as he watched him talk to his grandfather. He wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying, only that he was there.

And then Arthur turned to look at him, smiling and patting the space beside him on the sofa. Alfred wasted no time in going over, sitting as close as he could and participating in the conversation for a little while. It wasn’t anything super out of the ordinary, just the generic subjects like school and clubs and friends. It was still interesting to learn these things about Arthur, though.

For example, Arthur went to an all omega school and had a uniform, a fact that Alfred would definitely file away for later. Arthur didn’t have a lot of friends which Alfred didn’t understand, but the ones he had sounded nice. He was part of both the literature and the gardening club. The cooking club even sought him out for his talent with baking, but he was soon kicked out because he could barely touch a stovetop without setting something on fire.

“Which I think is rather rude-” Arthur continued, arms crossed. “I went through the trouble of applying and staying after school and they kick me out just because one stove has been rendered unusable.”

Alfred laughed at that, and Arthur shot him a look.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just..you seriously can’t cook? Not even a little?”

Arthur’s scent spiked with irritation, and he huffed. “Oh, so-rry, mighty alpha, I’m such a failure as an omega.” He spoke dryly. He was glaring at Alfred now, which gave Alfred the clue that he hit a nerve and needed to backtrack.

“Ah, no, I don’t care about that shit, promise! It’s a little funny, that’s all. I can cook for us! I like to cook, you wouldn’t have to if you didn’t wanna.”

Alfred didn’t really realize what he’d implied until Arthur went quiet. He was waiting for some type of rejection, but Arthur shrugged and pat his shoulder. “If it ever comes up, I’ll remember that.” He mumbled, cheeks pink. “I’m going to unpack.”

Arthur left, and although Alfred wanted to follow him, he stayed put. He had Arthur for a whole weekend. He could give him a few minutes to himself.

Besides. ‘I’ll remember that’ wasn’t a no.


	3. Chapter 3

Alfred followed Arthur around like a puppy throughout the following weekends. He wasn’t allowed to sleep over, but with the exception of going home for the night, Alfred was pretty much always with Arthur.

He’d never understood other Alphas when they talked about being absolutely fascinated with an omega. He’d always thought it was stupid, and that he was sure he’d never fall into that sort of trap. But now here he was, cooking up an elaborate meal for Arthur just because the omega felt only a tiny bit hungry.

His grandfather had run into town to do a few errands. In the meantime, it was getting late and neither of them had eaten any dinner. Arthur made the offhand remark that he was a little hungry, and that had Alfred springing up out of his seat and heading to the kitchen.

Arthur sat at the kitchen counter and mostly sat around to watch him cook, but on occasion, he’d compliment Alfred or ask him a question. When Alfred set a plate in front of him, Arthur smiled, and immediately Alfred knew that the trouble of making such a meal had been worth it.

He sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his lower back as the two of them ate their dinner together.

Arthur insisted on helping to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. His reasoning was that Alfred had done so much already and that it would be unfair not to. And, well, Alfred certainly didn’t mind having him around.

“Alfred…” Arthur began, looking down at the plate he’d been drying. “Why do you do all of this for me? Why go to the trouble?” Arthur was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, glancing up at Alfred and then back down at the floor.

“Oh, um, well- geez, Arthur, I, I’m sure you can sense why..” Alfred chuckled, brow creasing as he looked away.

“I think so. But I’d like to hear it from you.” Arthur put the plate away, then smiled at Alfred and took his hand.

“I just, I dunno Arthur, you make me feel all weird, but in a good way, y’know? I want..I wanna be your alpha. Please?”

Alfred watched Arthur’s expression. He was smiling, but he smelled sad and Alfred didn’t know why.

“Of course I’ll accept you as my alpha, Alfred. I..wish we’d met sooner, that’s all.” He held out his arms, and Alfred hugged him. That was what he was upset about? That was okay, Alfred could help fix that. Alfred kissed Arthur’s temple, which made the omega- now his omega- smile.

Arthur held him close, rocking them back and forth slowly. “You’re wonderful.” He mumbled, barely loud enough for Alfred to hear. Alfred wished that he wasn’t so melancholic, but they were together now and that was what mattered.

The next two weekends with Arthur were the happiest days Alfred could remember. Arthur even cheered up, laughing and smiling nearly as much as Alfred did. Even though Alfred missed Arthur more than anything over the week, the past four visits had been absolute dreams.

But, now it was Sunday night on the fourth visit, and Arthur would be going back soon. Alfred curled up with him in Arthur’s bed, nose pressed to the crook of his neck.

“I…Alfred, we need to talk. My parents are on their way to get me and I need to talk to you before I go.”

“Aw, babe, that doesn’t sound good..” Alfred sighed, kissing his neck. “Relax, m’kay? It’s gonna be alright, I’ll see you next weekend..”

Arthur grew quiet and then rolled over so that he was facing away from Alfred. “That’s..that’s just it, dear. I’m not coming back. I’m breaking up with you.”

Alfred felt the blood drain from his face, and he shot up from his reclined position. He placed a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, rolling him over so they could look at each other. “What? Artie, c’mon, you’re messin’ with me.”

But Arthur looked and smelled miserable. There were tears welled up in his eyes, and he was squirming, curling up as tightly as he could. “I’m afraid I’m quite serious. My parents have decided it best for my…development that I stay with them for the remainder of my last year of school. They can smell you, of course, um, they don’t want me to have…distractions. After that I’ll be sent off to an Omega exclusive finishing school for another few years and..well, Alfred, these past few weekends have been the best of my life, but it’s best that we don’t move forward with any attachments. I should have told you I just..I don’t know. You seemed so happy..but I won’t be anywhere near here for the next few years, Alfred. I don’t want to keep you from finding another omega that you can actually see. I’m sorry, but my mind is made up.”

As much as Alfred wanted to beg Arthur to stay and be his boyfriend, he knew that Arthur really didn’t have a say in the matter. And..if Arthur wanted to break up, he’d have to respect that. A good alpha never made an omega uncomfortable, and especially not unsafe. That’s how he’d been raised and that was how he’d act. Still…

“Arthur? Your parents won’t get here for another hour or two. Will you at least be my omega till then?

Arthur gave a slight nod, and Alfred moved forwards again, pulling him into a hug. He pressed his nose into his hair and felt Arthur shuffle towards the crook of his neck. If he only had Arthur for a few more hours, he would spend that time holding him and memorizing his scent until that ugly blue convertible came to take him away.


	4. Chapter 4

Alfred was nothing short of a wreck when the convertible came. He wanted to be the big, strong alpha Arthur probably wanted. But instead, he was a blubbering mess that had to be pried off of Arthur’s arm. He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Arthur was upset too, but to Arthur’s credit, he held himself together much better than Alfred did. Once Alfred was successfully detached from Arthur, Arthur helped load his suitcases into the car.

His parents were eager to get back on the road and honked the horn at Arthur to get inside. Arthur didn’t come right away, though. He gave Alfred a hug and kissed his cheek. “Alfred,” He whispered. “I left something for you in my nightstand. My parents would never allow it- so keep it a secret, okay?” Arthur smiled and waited for Alfred to nod before turning around and climbing into the back seat. He pressed his face to the window as they drove off, waving to Alfred until he couldn’t see him anymore.

Alfred wasted no time in going to Arthur’s room, tearing through the drawers of his nightstand until he found a little jewelry box. He opened it, examining the little heart-shaped locket on a gold chain. When he opened it, there was a picture of Arthur, and it smelled like him too. It was no wonder Arthur kept it a secret- his parents would have taken this away for sure. Scent lockets weren’t uncommon gifts, but they were almost always given exclusively between mates or those who planned to be together. There was a little note attached to the lid of the box, and Alfred had to wipe his eyes to read it properly.

‘With love,

Arthur.’

Alfred had a hard time clasping the locket around his neck, but once it was there Alfred promised himself that he wouldn’t ever remove it. Maybe those were the immature feelings of an adolescent, but Alfred liked to think that he was doing the right thing by holding on to Arthur. At least for now.

He kept the locket hidden under his shirt from that point onwards. He knew it was there, but the scent was faint enough that his shirt could mask it pretty well. At night, he’d hold it up and open it, looking at the picture of Arthur’s smiling face. Arthur didn’t like having his picture taken, so for Alfred to get a picture of Arthur from the omega himself was something really special.

He smiled at it, then closed the little heart shaped door, rolling onto his side and holding it up to his face as he fell asleep. He wished that he could go back to all those months ago- before he’d even met Arthur. He’d go right up to Mr. Kirkland’s house every weekend. Maybe they would have had more time…maybe if they’d known each other better, things would have gone differently. If he couldn’t change the past, he at least wanted to stop in it. If he could stop time, he’d go back to a day where he and Arthur had been happy together, and just live there.

Time, however, marched on, bringing its unwilling soldiers along with it. Alfred grew older, as one tends to do, and filled out. He had a last-minute growth spurt in senior year, and although he was as gentle and laid back as ever, he towered over most alphas, let along betas and omegas. He’d also filled out- he wasn’t especially muscular, but he was broad-shouldered and was apparently considered attractive because when he’d gone to college he had people of all types coming up to him and nervously asking him out.

College was when Arthur’s locket came off. Alfred didn’t throw it away- god, no, he couldn’t stand the thought. But he did wrap it around his bedpost, so that it was close, but that the scent wouldn’t linger on him anymore. He was less attached to him now, anyway.

Arthur, well…Arthur had been amazing. But he’d never come back. Not for holidays, not for summers..Mr. Kirkland sometimes went to visit him, but Alfred hadn’t ever been invited along. He wasn’t even sure if he would have gone, had the invitation been presented to him. It would have been…awkward, at the very least.

Still, a part of Alfred wondered how Arthur had grown up. Alfred looked so different from his teenage years, he was sure Arthur wouldn’t recognize him by sight. Maybe by smell or voice, but definitely not because he looked the same.

What had happened to Arthur? Had he gotten taller as well? Did he fill out? Arthur had been bony when Alfred knew him like he hadn’t been eating enough. Did he eat enough now? Alfred heard a few horror stories about finishing schools. Although they were few and far between, it was a practice Alfred wasn’t fond of and he hated the thought of his first boyfriend being sent there against his will. Alfred also worried if Arthur smelled the same. Alfred knew that lots of finishing schools fed omegas very special diets so that their scents would become sweeter and generally more attractive to the average alpha. But Alfred didn’t want Arthur to be considered average or simply pleasant- he was so much more than that. He smelled like rain and tea and the slight burnt scent of caramel- he smelled like a new book and the ocean and so help him if they squashed that in Arthur and sent him out smelling like flowers and vanilla Alfred would have to have a serious chat with whoever was in charge.

Ugh. Maybe he was still more attached to Arthur than he thought. What happened to Arthur now wasn’t Alfred’s concern, nor could he do anything about it. Alfred was sure Arthur had forgotten all about him anyway. Still, he couldn’t help but worry.

Alfred laid down on his bed now, relaxing in his dorm after a long day on campus. He’d been eyeing the locket on his bedpost for quite some time and had reached up to take it when a letter slipped through the mail slot on his front door. He went over, picking the pink envelope up and looking it over. The calligraphy on the front was really fancy, and at first, Alfred thought someone had the wrong address. But the name on the front was his own, so after another glance, he ripped it open. The letter came on matching pink stationary.

"To Mr. Alfred F. Jones

You’ve been cordially invited to the welcome home party of Mr. Arthur W.I. Kirkland, in order to celebrate the completion of his schooling. It will be held at the residence of his grandfather Charles Kirkland. Bringing refreshments is quite unnecessary, and bringing tokens or gifts of any kind is not only unnecessary but discouraged. We hope to look forward to your arrival.

Sincerely,

George and Ella Kirkland"

There was another slip of paper in the letter that included the date, time and exact address, but at that moment it wasn’t important. Arthur hadn’t forgotten about him, and Arthur thought that Alfred was important enough to invite to a party. He sat back on his bed, clutching the letter close to his chest and crumpling the paper in his excitement.

He was going to see Arthur again.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay. Alfred could do this. It was just Arthur, right? It wasn’t like they were strangers. They were sort of friends and Arthur had gone to the trouble to invite him to this fancy party. He obviously wanted him there- well, unless it was to be polite. But Alfred went to school hours away so Arthur would have no reason to invite him other than the fact that he wanted him around.

Although Alfred had been excited about the party at first, as the date got closer he found himself unable to decide whether he should go or not. He wanted to see Arthur more than anything, but he wasn’t sure how Arthur would feel about it all. Up until yesterday, he’d resolved not to go. But before bed, he found himself setting his alarm anyway and when he woke up to it he dressed in a nice button-up and jeans and got in his car. On his way there he’d ignored the warnings of the invitation and gotten Arthur some flowers. For no particular reason, of course, it was just a nice thing to do. And maybe it was okay if he did conveniently forget the no-gifts policy.

So now here he was, tugging awkwardly on his shirt collar with half a dozen red roses tucked under his arm. All he had to do was ring the doorbell, but for all his growing up and maturing he still felt like a nervous teenager.

He was still standing at the front door when another car pulled up, two alpha girls climbing out and laughing as they jogged up to the door. They didn’t seem to care about Alfred, pushing past him to ring the doorbell.

Charles answered it and ushered the two girls in. He was older, of course, but he looked like he’d aged twenty years. He was hunched over more, leaning on a cane. Once the girls were in, he eyed Alfred.

“Um, hello, sir! Long time no see!” Alfred laughed, catching a spark of recognition in the old man’s eyes.

“Oh, Alfred..” He smiled, voice raspy. “Come on in, We were wondering when you were going to get here. Arthur’s in the living room, I’m sure you want to see him..” He hobbled off to the side, coughing into his hand. He mumbled an ‘excuse me’, but Alfred barely heard him as he strode over to the living room. His previous nerves abandoned, Alfred was now a man on a mission. He clutched the bouquet in his hand, standing in the doorway and glancing over everyone in the room.

Finally, Alfred found him. Arthur was speaking to someone else, but he’d looked up and made eye contact with Alfred. Alfred found himself smiling, and he was sure he was giving off tons of embarrassing lovey-dovey scents, yet he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Arthur excused himself from his conversation. He stood, and started walking towards Alfred.

Arthur looked so, so different. He’d gotten taller. Not by much, but he’d managed to gain another inch or two. He’d filled out a lot, no longer underweight. His hair had been kind of spiky in their teenage years, but now it was feathery and fluffed out more. A quick check assured Alfred that Arthur’s scent hadn’t changed much, and for that he was glad. He couldn’t read any emotion on him though, which was odd.

“Um, hey, Arthur..long time, huh? You look good! Cool party,” Alfred fumbled, holding out the flowers with one hand and scratching his neck with the other.

Arthur glanced around before allowing himself to smile and take the bouquet, pushing back some of the petals absently. “…I didn’t think you would come, you know. The invitation was mostly to be polite. Plus Grandpa wanted to invite you.”

“Oh! Uh, should I go then?” Alfred asked, twiddling his thumbs while looking at the floor. He felt his stomach drop and twist. He took a deep breath, rocking on his heels.

“Oh- heavens no, Alfred, you’ve traveled so far to get here. I’m..glad you made it.” Arthur pat his arm, posture stiffening as his father called his name from the other room.

“If you excuse me, Dear, I have to go put these away somewhere before either of my parents see. It was a no-token policy, you know.” He chuckled, gesturing to his roses. “But I appreciate the thought.” Before he left, he moved closer, giving Alfred an all-too-short hug.

And then Arthur was gone again, leaving Alfred to stare after him and inconvenience anyone who was trying to walk through the doorway behind him. Alfred, as thick headed as he could be, was starting to come to the realization that maybe he’d been a fool to come back at all. He’d been almost ready to move on and start dating again, but here Arthur was and suddenly the notion of trying to pursue anyone else seemed ridiculous. There was only one omega for him, and now there was nothing to get in the way.

As the late morning became the early afternoon, Arthur’s family set up a big lunch for everyone. Even Arthur was allowed to help. Though he was strictly relegated to desserts and absolutely nothing that required using a knife or a stovetop. Alfred didn’t even want to hear the horror stories behind those stipulations. He thought he caught the word ‘ambulance’ once or twice. That wasn’t a problem, though! Alfred loved to cook and had a big sweet tooth, so getting to spoil Arthur while simultaneously getting sweets from him sounded like the best possible arrangement.

Er, well, maybe Alfred was getting a little ahead of himself. He and Arthur weren’t really together at the moment. Hopefully, that would change today though. Arthur wouldn’t have any obligations at the moment, at least he didn’t think so.

Alfred made to ask him, but before he could catch a moment Arthur’s family was bringing out the food. Everyone sat down, and Alfred all but preened when Arthur looked around and then settled into the seat next to him. Arthur smiled at him, waving as the rest of the party guests settled in.

Once everyone was sat down, Arthur’s father stood up.

“Alright, everyone, it’s great to have you here! And congratulations to Arthur on his graduation, we couldn’t be prouder. And now we can look forward to setting him up with a proper alpha-” Arthur’s father George shot Alfred a pointed look. “And then he’ll be able to settle down.”

Arthur paled at that. He was fidgeting and tugging on the edge of his shirt. He looked at Alfred, taking a deep breath. He steeled himself, turning to face his family.

“Aha…well. About that. Um. I’m going to have a baby.”


	6. Chapter 6

The silence was heavy. Alfred guessed that that was a fair response- Arthur had just dropped quite the bomb on everyone. A baby was no nonchalant announcement. Alfred realized now that Arthur must have used a scent inhibitor since he definitely would have caught on to the change in his scent. That would explain why he couldn’t smell any emotion on him either, even though at the moment Arthur looked terrified.

Alfred couldn’t help but wonder who the alpha was. They weren’t here at the party, the only alphas in attendance were him, Charles, George, and the two girls from earlier. And from the way the girls acted around each other, Alfred was pretty sure they were together.

It was George who broke the quiet spell, but not with words. He tried to form sentences, yes, but all that came out were choked syllables that didn’t make any sense. His scent was spiked with fury, though, and he started coming around the table with his hands outstretched for Arthur, fingers curled in a vice-like grip.

Arthur got to his feet, turning on his heel and hurrying out of the room. The front door opened and shut, and for a while, Alfred thought George was going to chase after him. He didn’t though, grumbling as he turned to sit back down. When George’s back was turned, Alfred left the room as well, following Arthur outside.

He found him sitting at the end of the driveway, hiding his face.

“Hey…Art?” He called out, moving closer and kneeling down to put a hand on his shoulder. “…You okay?”

Arthur glanced over at Alfred, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know, Al..it’s a lot, you know? And there’s no way I can go back inside..” He chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head.

“Well, you can’t sit out in the driveway either.” Alfred rolled his eyes, helping Arthur to his feet. “Come on. We’ll go to my parents’ house, m’kay? We can get somethin’ to eat. You really couldn’t have saved the news until after lunch, huh?” He grinned, and Arthur chuckled, leaning into Alfred’s side as they walked.

“Oh, sorry..can’t help having a flair for the dramatic. A shame it interrupted your meal. Obviously, you’re the one we should all be the most concerned about..” Arthur was smiling a little, shaking his head.

“Yeah! Glad we’re on the same page here, Art.” Alfred wrapped an arm around his shoulders, happy that he was making Arthur feel a little better.

He brought Arthur inside, waving to his parents as they went in. He didn’t know how much information Arthur was comfortable sharing, so he gave his parents the briefest of explanations and led Arthur to the kitchen. Arthur sat at the counter and watched Alfred cook.

“Well, doesn’t this take you back?” Arthur smiled as Alfred flipped a piece of chicken in the pan. “You don’t have to do anything for me, you know. You didn’t have to take care of me back then either.” His expression grew a little more serious, and he crossed his arms. “You know I’m not helpless. I can handle all of this myself.”

Alfred rolled his eyes. “I know you can, Art, that doesn’t mean I don’t wanna help.”

Arthur eyed him for a long moment. Once he seemed satisfied, he shrugged and watched as Alfred finished cooking and set a plate in front of him.

Alfred watched as Arthur picked at his meal for a while until the omega eventually decided he was hungry enough to actually eat. Alfred left the dirty dishes in the sink for now, making a mental note to go back to them later.

“So, uh, do you wanna talk?” He asked, holding out his hand. Arthur didn’t take it.

“About what?” Arthur feigned ignorance, crossing his arms and looking away.

“Alright. No talking then.”

Alfred brought Arthur down to the basement. They couldn’t really go back, at least not for a while. Arthur’s parents were more than likely still mad, so to kill some time Alfred suggested they watch movies. The basement was a sort of guest room-slash-laundry room. The washer, dryer and ironing board were hidden away behind a pocket door when not in use, and the basement was furnished with a couch, a couple chairs, a bed, and a desk. There was a coffee table against a wall which had the tv and a video game system hooked up to it.

When Arthur sat down on the couch, Alfred gave him his space. He didn’t want to make him feel trapped down there, but halfway through the first movie, Arthur moved closer on his own.

They sat in silence for hours. It was late, and the end credits to their last movie were scrolling down the screen when Arthur finally spoke up. He took Alfred’s hand, squeezing it tight.

“I don’t have a mate.” He began, blinking rapidly. “The father- it was an accident, you understand, and, and he won’t have anything to do with me now.” He bit his lip, shaking his head. “God, he’s such a fucking dick, I can’t believe… I don’t know. I’d been seeing him on and off and I was at his apartment,” He sighed, relaxing his muscles as he leaned back against the sofa. “The point is, I’m alone. Father most likely won’t be able to stand me anymore, and I must admit the feeling is mutual.” He managed a small, hoarse laugh, and in response, Alfred pulled him in for a hug.

Arthur wrapped his arms around his shoulders, breathing in deeply before he started to cry. Alfred swayed them back and forth. He was unsure of what to do, eyes wide as Arthur broke down in front of him. He felt awkward and seeing Arthur so sad was freaking him out. He was sure he felt stiff and Arthur only seemed to get more and more upset. He guessed that he maybe had to let Arthur ride it out, so he pat his back and sat up a little more, trying to make Arthur more comfortable.

Alfred was sure this wasn’t helpful, but the only thing his brain would think about was how in those cheesy romance movies, an omega crying would still look cute or pretty, and they always got better when their alpha said or did something romantic. Arthur didn’t look cute or pretty now, though. His sobbing was loud and choked and it grated on Alfred’s ears. His face was blotchy and red and his nose was running and honestly, it was kind of gross and Alfred pitied him. Arthur’s life must be a disaster, and it now dawned on Alfred that since Arthur had graduated, he didn’t have a place to stay anymore. He’d been living at the school, and Alfred was sure his parents wouldn’t let him stay. Alfred was also pretty confident that the strange alpha wouldn’t even give Arthur a second glance, and that made Alfred want to punch him.

“Arthur?” Alfred asked, keeping his tone soft. “Um, where are you gonna go?”

Arthur rubbed at his eyes with his fists. “Fuck, I don’t know Alfred… Can’t go to that dickhead or to my parents. I could go to Grandfather but his health- I couldn’t do that to him, Al. I just couldn’t. He needs to be worried about himself, not me. I..I don’t know what I’m going to do..”

Alfred nodded, checking the time. It was already pretty late. “Um, well, you can stay here tonight, okay? I’m staying here for a few days to visit with my parents, so you can stay here and we’ll figure it out in the morning. It’s not supposed to be a good idea to make decisions when you’re crying anyway, right?”

Arthur looked at him, and nodded, too exhausted to argue. All his luggage was at his grandpa’s house, but as it was the middle of the night, he insisted that they wait until morning to go and get it. Alfred would have offered him a shirt to sleep in, but he didn’t like the connotations of such a gesture. Alfred wouldn’t have minded at all if Arthur smelled like him, but he didn’t want Arthur to think he was making some kind of move. Arthur needed support at the moment, and Alfred would give it to him.

He did, however, make sure Arthur had everything he could want. Alfred put a glass of water on the nightstand and borrowed a book from his mom, in case Arthur wanted something to do. They would face Arthur’s reality in the morning. For now, Alfred hoped Arthur would feel better, at least for the night. He went to the basement stairs and waved goodnight to the omega.

Arthur chuckled under his breath, rolling his eyes and waving back as Alfred went up the stairs.

“Goodnight, Alfred. Thank you.”

“Goodnight, Art. And no problem.”


	7. Chapter 7

When Alfred woke up the next morning, he stumbled down the stairs from his old bedroom, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Both his parents would have already left for work at this point, so he was surprised to smell fresh coffee once he neared the kitchen.

He found Arthur there, shoveling spoons of sugar into the drink. He was sitting at the kitchen counter, his suitcases piled up by the door. As Alfred walked in, he looked up, gesturing to the coffee pot on the other side of the kitchen.

“You didn’t have any tea, which I suppose I should have expected. I needed the caffeine, though.” He chuckled a little under his breath, taking a sip from his mug and making a face. He furrowed his brows at the mug and added some more sugar as Alfred poured himself a cup.

“I uh, see you got your stuff back already. I thought we were gonna go together.” Alfred raised a brow, leaning back against the counter as he looked down into his mug.

“You were asleep. I went early enough that Grandfather would be the only one awake. It wasn’t difficult.”

“Still, Arthur, your dad- he was super mad, I don’t know if that was a good idea-”

Arthur set his empty mug down hard, the ceramic slamming against the kitchen counter with a bang. He glared at Alfred, expression hard and cold.

“I’m not helpless or stupid, Jones, and I could do this on my own. Don’t treat me like I can’t.”

Arthur’s scent inhibitor had more or less worn off, and Alfred could smell the anger and the exhaustion on him. He was right- he probably could do this alone. It would be difficult but Arthur was a strong person and Alfred was fairly confident that he’d be okay by himself. But he didn’t have to be. It would be easier with Alfred’s help, and he was pretty sure Arthur was only still here because he knew that.

“I don’t think you’re helpless, Art.” Alfred sighed, rubbing his forehead. “You’re like, the strongest person ever, but I wanna help anyways. Is that okay?”

Arthur looked down, slowly nodding his head after thinking it over for a while. “Alright… I’m..sorry for snapping at you.”

Alfred smiled at him, giving a thumbs up. “No problem Art, I get it.”

Arthur frowned. “You really don’t.”

Once Alfred had finished his coffee, he led Arthur to the dining room table. He ran back upstairs to get his laptop, and once they’d settled in he started to help Arthur browse for jobs, looking for anything that seemed promising. There wasn’t a lot of opportunity in the immediate area, at least not for anyone like Arthur. Finishing school was to help prepare an omega to settle down, so it didn’t really help anyone who was looking for employment. Almost everything Arthur qualified for was minimum wage in retail or fast food. Alfred was sure Arthur hated the thought of those jobs, that was about all he had.

“Hey, Alfred,” Arthur nudged his shoulder after a while. “I’d like to look for a job near where you go to school. There isn’t much for me in this town anyway, and if I’m going to be moving I may as well go somewhere exciting.” He shrugged. “But I would like someone familiar in the area, so I’m not completely alone.” He rubbed his arms, giving Alfred a small smile. “It’s a larger city anyways, so they’ll be more jobs.”

Alfred felt his heart skip a beat, and he nodded, unable to hide a grin. “Hey, yeah! I’d like havin’ you nearby, we could hang out and stuff, and if you ever needed anything, I’d be around!” He eagerly switched tabs, searching for jobs as near to his school as he could. The thought of having Arthur close made him smile. It would be nice to have him there, and Alfred was already imagining all the times they could hang out and have fun together as friends. Yes, Alfred wanted more, but for now, it would be great just to be able to spend time with Arthur whenever they wanted.

They found a few jobs that paid okay, and Arthur filled out the online applications and sent them in. Arthur didn’t have a lot of money for rent, but he did have a little that he’d saved up doing odd jobs during school. It certainly wouldn’t get him a mansion, but he could get a room someplace and, in time, save for a proper apartment.

Eventually, Alfred felt like they’d looked around enough for now, and Arthur felt the same. He closed the laptop, pushing it away from him.

“Well, Art, we’re getting there. You’re super smart, I’m sure you could work just about anywhere. You’ll hear back from someone, promise.”

Arthur didn’t answer him, looking off to the side. Alfred didn’t have the slightest idea what Arthur could be thinking about, but whatever it was made Arthur’s scent sweeten.

Alfred rose a brow, leaning in a little closer. “Hey, what’s got you in such a good mood?” He smiled. “I like it, you’ve been stressed out all day.”

Arthur glanced back at him, taking a moment to think before he answered.

“Oh, it’s..it’s nothing, Al. Nothing at all. You’re just..a sweet guy, you know that? I’m glad that I have you around.” Arthur got up, walking past Alfred and patting the back of his hand as he went. Arthur was smiling, and he went over to his suitcases and picked them up.

“I’m going to move all this down to the basement so it’ll be out of the way..your parents have been very hospitable but I don’t want to be any sort of inconvenience.”

He went to the top of the stairs, glancing over his shoulder at Alfred before heading down.

“Grandfather was right, you know. You are a good person.” And with that, he headed downstairs. He left Alfred at the dining room table, grinning like a fool.


	8. Chapter 8

“This the last of it?” Alfred called out, setting Arthur’s suitcase down inside his new room. They’d managed to find an affordable one just a fifteen minute walk away from Alfred’s dorm. Although Arthur did have to share the house with both the owner and two other tenants, they all seemed like nice people. The two tenants were a husband and wife, both omegas. The owner was an older beta, and she was very sympathetic to Arthur’s situation and let him use some old furniture she’d had in storage.

Arthur glanced in Alfred’s direction after placing his blanket over the bed, giving an affirming nod. “Yes, that’s all of it, thank you for helping me out, Alfred.” He smiled at him, gaze lingering before he seemed to snap out of it and go back to what he was doing. “Though I must admit, the ride in your truck was jarring. Perhaps it’s due for a trip to the mechanic?”

Alfred laughed at that, shutting the door and leaning against it. “Nah, ol’ Blue has always done that. Ever since I got her. It doesn’t matter what anyone does, she just likes to act up sometimes.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say..but don’t call me if you end up stuck someplace. I’ll leave you there.”

“Noted,” Alfred replied, and Arthur smiled. This was…nice. He enjoyed being more casual with Arthur, and Arthur seemed to like it too. He seemed happy to be away from his parents, anyway, and by the looks of it, he enjoyed Alfred’s company. He started working in a few days, too. The job wasn’t glamorous by any means, but, hey, sorting mail was quiet at least. Arthur most likely wouldn’t have to worry about angry customers or super terrible working conditions either. He was starting to have a real life, and Alfred was proud of him. If Arthur was happy, Alfred was happy, and Arthur’s recent mood had been somewhat suspiciously optimistic.

“Arthur?” Alfred rubbed his arm, taking a step closer. “I want you to know, uh, I think you’re really amazing. I mean. If I were in your position, I don’t think I could do it, you know? You don’t give up, even though you’re by yourself, and I think that that’s impressive.“

Arthur didn’t say anything at first, moving to unpack a duffel bag, which was filled with almost nothing but books. He started arranging them on the little bookshelf, sorting them by genre and then by author.

“Well…it certainly helps to have someone as sweet as you around to help. I’m not truly by myself like you say. You’re here, after all. I wouldn’t want to go through all of this without you, Al.”

Al. Al was new. It’d started back at his parents’ house, but Arthur used it more often now. Arthur hadn’t been one to use nicknames in the past, at least as much as Alfred could remember. Maybe on occasion, but definitely not as often as he did now. It was cute.

Arthur had to clear his throat for Alfred to realize that he’d been staring. Alfred laughed awkwardly and glanced back at the door.

“Ah, geez…I think you’re giving me a little too much credit. But, thank you. Well, Art, I’ll get out of your way. I gotta get home, anyway. I’ll see ya soon! Can’t wait to see how you like your job.”

Arthur nodded a little, waving to Alfred. He had turned away again, sorting through his stuff as he tried to figure out where to put it.

As Alfred got in his truck, he glanced back at the townhouse with a fond smile. He’d have to visit again soon. Arthur liked having him around, which was a relief. Part of him had been worried that Arthur would get bored or tired of him once he was back on his feet, but it didn’t seem that way. He had a nickname, and Arthur would get suspiciously smiley when Alfred was around. Although courting was out of the picture, at least for the time being, Alfred was glad Arthur considered him a friend.

The next time he came around, he brought flowers with him. Friends gave each other flowers, right? And since he knew Arthur didn’t have a vase, he brought one of those, too. There was only a romantic connotation if they wanted one, and that was that. It wasn’t courting, even if Alfred did like the way Arthur’s cheeks flushed and the way he would glance off to the side and rub his neck.

He didn’t really get why Arthur got so embarrassed whenever he got a gift or a compliment. Every time Alfred said something nice about him, Arthur would wave him off or dismiss it with a polite nod. Maybe he just wasn’t used to it? Though Alfred again couldn’t imagine why- Arthur must have had tons of people interested in him. But whenever he tried to give him any attention, Alfred got the same pre-programmed response.

“Thank you, Al, that’s sweet.”

Still, though, it was sort of cute to watch Arthur get flustered, so Alfred kept bringing gifts. Whether it be as small as a candy bar or as big as a large, scented stuffed animal, Alfred found himself scanning shelves and displays whenever he went out just in case he found something Arthur would like. It didn’t take long for him to put Arthur’s locket back on, either. He didn’t tell Arthur any of this- he thought it would be embarrassing and Arthur would think he was just some sentimental kid. He was, of course, but that was beside the point. It was still under his shirt for now, but it was comforting to carry Arthur’s scent around with him.

Damn. He was in it deep, wasn’t he?


End file.
